Thursday, 21 February 2013

Birmingham – Divorce hot spot

Birmingham, famously the subject of disparaging comments by Jane Austen’s character in ‘Pride and Prejudice’, now has a further claim to fame.

Recently published Ministry of Justice figures show Birmingham as top of the list of courts where the most petitions for divorce were applied for in the twelve months up to September 2012.

The Ministry of Justice’s intention in publishing the figures on their website is to highlight the government’s plans to change the law so that any couple seeking a court order regarding contact with a child or finances must first attend a mediation assessment meeting. This would explain how mediation works and explore whether is it suitable for them.

The Family Justice Minister is also quoted, emphasising the government’s intention to promote mediation as quicker and cheaper than the court process.

All good family lawyers will encourage clients to try to resolve their disputes by agreement by means of mediation, negotiation ,or the collaborative process. Unfortunately, it ‘takes two to tango’ as they say and this approach will not therefore not work for everyone.

We are a team of specialist family law solicitors in Manchester. For more divorce advice please read our family law blog or follow us on Twitter @Divorce_experts